BREAKING BAD: Exploding Colorado Houses Make National News

But that is exactly what firefighters, courts and lawmakers across the state are confronting these days: amateur marijuana alchemists who are turning their kitchens and basements into “Breaking Bad”-style laboratories, using flammable chemicals to extract potent drops of a marijuana concentrate commonly called hash oil, and sometimes accidentally blowing up their homes and lighting themselves on fire in the process.

The Gray Lady further advocates explains to us dusty, cow town types, that these labs are legal and that police have no business cracking down on the hash chefs whose activities are no worse than deep-frying a turkey.

Exhibit A: Paul Mannaioni was charged with arson and manufacturing pot after the Denver cooperative where he was brewing the batch exploded. His lawyer, Robert Corry, insisted that Coloradans had called for a fundamental shift of how pot is controlled when they legalized it.

It is no longer an issue for the police and courts, he said, but for the regulators and bureaucrats who enforce the civil codes surrounding marijuana growers and dispensaries.

“That constitutional provision renders my client’s accused conduct to be legal,” Mr. Corry said in court. “The court system is not to be used for marijuana regulation anymore.”

While defending his client in court against the arson charges, Corry further argued that making butane hash oil is just like brewing beer, and that the state law for which he was prosecuted simply wasn’t valid.

More quotes we couldn’t possibly make up:

“There are thousands of people in Colorado who are doing this,” Mr. Corry said in an interview. “I view this as the equivalent of frying turkey for Thanksgiving. Someone spills the oil, and there’s an explosion. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not a felony crime.”

Mannaioni said it was like, surreal, dude, to even be charged with such a bogus deal in Colorado, because legalization has been embraced.

Without a hint of irony, Mannaioni added: “I was blown away that they even charged us. The court system, they are having a really hard time of letting go that pot isn’t bad.”

Officials blame the cooking process of homemade hash on 32 explosions last year. Thankfully, no one was killed but 17 people were sent to the hospital for treatment of severe burns.

It never ceases to amaze why self-proclaimed "conservatives" discover their love for Intrusive Big Government State intervention when it comes to marijuana. Freedom means freedom, whoever is exercising it. But here is an update on this unnecessarily snarky post from "Colorado's Prohibitionist Bully Pulpit": ALL criminal charges against Paul Mannioni were DISMISSED by the Denver District Attorney and Denver District Court. We request a correction and an apology from this site. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27801777/charges-dropped-against-man-denver-marijuana-hash-oil

repeal what? Arson charges? That is misuse of an existing law and is like charging someone for accidentally setting there house on fire due to not cleaning their chimney. Repeal the law making pot legal, why go backwards. The pot laws have been effective as Prohibition and no one is suggesting that we reinstate those laws. If you don't like pot just don't smoke it.